VOLUME 8 SPRING 2018

FEATURE: 

EVOLUTION OF 

WOMEN IN ART AT 

THE U.S. CAPITOL

COOL TOOLS:

BUMP CAPS

PROFILE IN 

HISTORY:

JOB W. ANGUS
COOL TOOLS:

Read how this cool cap is 

keeping Capitol Building 

employees safer. 

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Learn more about how our 

employees care for the historic 

floors in the Senate. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

A look at the Capitol Visitor 

Center’s busiest season.

20

FEATURE: An in-depth look 

at the evolution of women in 

art at the U.S. Capitol.

15

17

In This Issue

1 ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK

 2 PROFILE IN HISTORY

 Job W. Angus

 6 FEATURE

 The Evolution of Women 

in Art at the U.S. Capitol

 15 BEHIND THE SCENES

 Restoration and Care of 

Historic Marble Floors 

 17 BY THE NUMBERS

 Capitol Visitor Center 

 20 COOL TOOLS

 Making Heads Safer,

 One Bump Cap at a Time

COVER: A detailed view of the 

U.S. Capitol’s Statue of Freedom. 

Photo illustration by Michael Dunn

6
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 1

I

t is human nature to try to find order and balance in 

our surroundings. One of the ways I do this in my 

own life is to be as organized as possible. My desk 

is proof of this as it is always arranged neatly with 

nothing out of place. This gives me a sense of ease so I 

can focus on other tasks at hand. 

The concept of order is important to me and may have 

been what drew me to becoming an architect. Certainly, 

order, balance and proportion are all manifested in some 

of my favorite works of architecture, particularly those on 

Capitol Hill. 

Most of our buildings on Capitol Hill are designed in a 

Neoclassical style, which has an orderly design with carefully 

developed proportions often consisting of three elements: a 

base, a middle and a top. This grouping of elements gives us 

comfort in its predictability and creates balance. Things are 

arranged in a way that matches our expectations.

The base in classical architecture is often rusticated 

with a decorative technique that makes it appear heavy 

and sturdy. The middle is more refined to provide a 

transition before our eyes reach the top, which balances 

out the base by being light and delicate in design.

One of my favorite examples of these classical concepts 

can be found in the Renaissance Revival design of the 

Thomas Jefferson Building’s Main Reading Room with 

its eight giant columns. Each column has a large, defined 

pedestal base with a smooth marble column as the middle 

Finding Comfort In Balance

and is topped off with intricate details of the entablature 

with its projecting cornice. 

Architectural balance is also often achieved through 

symmetry. In the Main Reading Room, the art, decoration 

and sculpture reinforce a sense of order by the strong 

organizing element created by the monumental columns. 

Each of the eight ornate Corinthian columns is 

flanked by a richly carved screen wall of Siena marble 

and support an allegorical statue representing an area 

of intellectual pursuit that is identified in the wreathed 

plaque immediately below it. 

Blending art to architecture, the bronze statues 

nearest the column are of prominent figures related to 

its designated intellectual pursuit. Above each allegorical 

figure is a triangular pendentive, formed where the two 

arches that support the dome meet, decorated with 

winged figures that hold between them a large tablet with 

a related inscription.

Intuitively, we like it and it looks nice. The reason for 

this pleasant experience comes from the use of order, 

balance and symmetry in classical design.t

Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP

Architect of the Capitol

ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK 

Photo by James Rosenthal
2 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

The Lincoln catafalque, constructed by Job 

W. Angus and others to support the casket of 

Abraham Lincoln while the president’s body lay 

in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. It is a simple 

base of rough pine boards nailed together and 

covered with black cloth. Photo by Steve Payne

WRITTEN BY FRANKLIN BRADLEY

JOB 

W. 

ANGUS
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 3

F

ollowing the election of Lincoln 

to his first term as president, 

Angus built a ballroom of yellow 

pine that was the site of Lincoln’s 

inaugural ball. Located behind the 1861 

location of Washington’s city hall, the 

building was dubbed the “white muslin Palace 

of Aladdin.” One can imagine this temporary 

structure draped in beautiful white fabric, 

evoking the tents of nomads, billowing in the 

desert winds.

PROFILE IN HISTORY

The night before his assassination, President Lincoln dreamed that he was standing 

in a ship under full sail, rapidly approaching an indefinite shore. He reported having 

this dream before every major event of his presidency. Although those dreams were 

surely symbolic, Lincoln entered and left Washington, D.C., via vessels of muslin 

and wood, constructed by a builder and carpenter who had risen to the position of 

assistant commissioner of public buildings, Mr. Job W. Angus.

Perhaps because the ballroom was 

intended to be a temporary structure, it 

relied on the City Hall for many facilities. 

The council chamber was used as the 

ladies’ dressing room while the courtroom 

was converted into a hat room for the 

occasion.

The National Republican newspaper 

reported that, “The hall was lighted up 

in a brilliant manner and presented 

a most fairylike appearance.” 

The ballroom built by Job W. Angus for the grand ball to celebrate President Lincoln’s first inauguration in 1861. It featured many gas 

lamp fixtures to illuminate the interior, which was reported to be large enough to accommodate 3,000 people. Image courtesy of Anne 

S.K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library
4 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

PROFILE IN HISTORY

Apparently, the word “palace” was not lightly used, as the 

paper also reported, “The room itself is much larger than 

any ever before erected in this city for a similar purpose; 

and in all its arrangements reflects the highest credit 

upon all engaged in its construction.”

Four years later, Angus was again called on to build a 

structure for a ceremony held for President Lincoln, but 

this was to be a simpler construction for a sad occasion.

In April of 1865, news of Lincoln’s assassination 

reached Benjamin Brown French, Commissioner of 

Public Buildings, who was responsible for the care of 

all federal buildings in Washington, D.C., including 

the U.S. Capitol. French closed the U.S. Capitol, began 

preparations for the funeral, and directed his son, 

20-year-old Benjamin Jr., to design the platform on 

which the president’s casket would rest, known as a 

catafalque.

Angus and others followed this design when they 

nailed together pine boards to create a 7-foot-long 

platform, set on an 8 1⁄2-foot-long base. This was covered 

in black fabric made and trimmed by French’s wife. As 

he quickly assembled this platform, one can only wonder 

what thoughts came to Angus, who helped build not only 

the U.S. Capitol, but also the Smithsonian Castle and 

other notable buildings.

Did Angus look up to the new Dome that sheltered 

the catafalque, whose construction continued through the 

Civil War, and see it as a symbol of the ongoing building 

of a more perfect union, as Lincoln did? Did he reflect 

on the contrast of this small, dark bier, which sat under 

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Ball gowns of distinguished ladies who attended Lincoln’s 1861 inaugural ball. City Hall, adjacent to the 

ballroom, was the location of dressing rooms for attendees. Map of Washington, D.C. printed in 1861, showing the location of the City 

Hall at the time. Library of Congress photos
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 5

PROFILE IN HISTORY

the center of that Dome, with the large, bright ballroom 

he had built so recently for the same man? Did he have 

any idea that, unlike the ballroom, which was quickly 

disassembled, this hastily built, simple platform would 

endure to bear the bodies of scores of great leaders for the 

next 150 years?

In the Rotunda, around the low platform Angus built, 

Capitol employees covered the walls, the eight large 

paintings, and all the statues but one with black cloth. 

Only the statue of George Washington, fitted with a 

black sash in the style of military mourning, was visible. 

As the public lined up outside, waiting to pay their 

respects, they were undeterred by a rain that soaked them 

as they slowly shuffled forward up the steps into the 

hushed space where Lincoln lay in state.

A New York Times reporter wrote, “thousands wended 

their way up the Capitol steps, into the grand rotunda, by 

the bier and coffin of the President, and then out at the 

eastern entrance. The people clung to their friend with 

tenacity, and their silent homage was deep and tearful.” 

Citizens coming together one final time was a fitting send 

off to the man who had observed, “If all do not join now 

to save the good old ship of the Union this voyage, nobody 

will have a chance to pilot her on another voyage.”

The next day, his casket was lifted off the catafalque, 

a simple pine platform wrapped in mourning cloth, 

and President Lincoln, who had piloted the nation 

through its greatest tempest, started his slow journey 

across the shores of many rivers to his final resting 

place in Illinois. t

In 2006, the Architect of the Capitol carefully restored the fabric that covers the catafalque constructed by Job W. Angus and others to 

hold President Lincoln’s casket as he lay in state. Photo by Susanne Bledsoe
6 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

WOMEN IN HISTORY

Thomas Crawford’s Freedom

is an amalgam of symbols, 

some borrowed and some 

invented, drawing on 

iconography rooted in the 

North American continent 

and classical antiquity. Her 

graceful contrapposto stance, 

flowing hair and Grecian dress 

derive from antique sources, 

and her helmet evokes the 

mythological figure of Minerva 

(Wisdom). The crest, however, 

with its dangling eagle talons 

and projecting feathers, 

references Native American 

ceremonial costumes.

Detail of Freedom during 

conservation, 1993.

Photo by Wayne Firth
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 7

EVOLUTION 

OF

Women in Art

AT THE 

U.S. CAPITOL

Women have long played roles in Capitol art. In the 19th century, they appeared 

primarily as allegorical figures in murals and architectural sculpture representing ideals, 

not individuals. However, as women took on more prominent positions in society and 

won basic rights (such as the vote, in 1920), their greater opportunities and visibility 

have led to more U.S. Capitol sculptures and paintings honoring women who have 

shaped American history. Further, in the 21st century, women are as likely as not to be 

the artists behind the art.

WRITTEN BY MICHELE COHEN
8 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

FEATURE

TOP: Constantino Brumidi, War detail from the Apotheosis of Washington, 1865. Photo by Wayne Firth LEFT: Prudence gazes into a mirror, here 

not a symbol of vanity but meant to convey the idea of reality, as opposed to what might be imagined. Next to her is a snake, signifying wisdom. 

Photo by Ron Anderson RIGHT: Temperance touches a bridle while a winged cherub pours water into wine, signifying physical and mental 

control. Photo by Ron Anderson
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 9

WOMEN AS ALLEGORICAL FIGURES

Allegorical figures embody concepts or types of 

activity (such as love or commerce) and often convey 

their meaning through the use of symbolic props, or 

“attributes,” that allow the viewer to identify them. 

Many standard conventions are centuries old, such 

as the olive branch of Peace or the scales of Justice, 

but sometimes artists must devise new symbolism to 

represent new concepts.

The Statue of Freedom, atop the Capitol Dome, is 

arguably the most recognized female figure on Capitol 

Hill. Sculpted by Thomas Crawford and hoisted 

into place in 1863, she is both icon and inspiration. 

Consistent with centuries of depictions of women in 

western art, her colossal stature and jagged profile give 

shape to an aspiration, not a specific person.

Painter Constantino Brumidi also employed 

allegorical figures to address big ideas throughout his 

U.S. Capitol mural cycles. Some, such as War with her 

sword and shield, are easily recognizable. However, his 

depictions of the Four Cardinal Virtues (Prudence, 

Temperance, Strength [or Fortitude] and Justice) in the 

Senate Reception Room ceiling puzzle many visitors 

today, illustrating that what was readily understood in 

the 19th century has become more obscure for 21st 

century viewers. In Brumidi’s scheme, the four Virtues, 

historically associated with individual leaders, have been 

transformed into attributes of a governmental body — 

the Senate. 

WOMEN ARTISTS

In Charles Fairman’s 1913 book Works of Art in the 

United States Capitol, 15 of 142 artist biographies are 

of women. Now that number has more than tripled. 

The first woman artist to create art for the U.S. Capitol 

was Vinnie Ream, who was only 18 when she signed 

her contract to produce a statue of Abraham Lincoln, 

located in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Her selection fueled 

a public relations storm, and critics accused her of using 

her feminine charms to compensate for her inexperience 

— although she had, in fact, studied for about three 

years with sculptor Clark Mills in his U.S. Capitol studio 

(today the House Chaplain’s Office, HB-25), which she 

eventually occupied as her own studio.

Vinnie Ream at work on her Lincoln bust, which rests upon the 

stand she used in the White House while President Lincoln posed 

for her. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

FEATURE
10 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

Since Ream’s day, an increasing number of female 

artists have created painted portraits and bronze and 

marble statues for the U.S. Capitol, some commissioned 

by Congress and some donated by states for the National 

Statuary Hall Collection. Anne Whitney was the first 

woman to sculpt a statue for the National Statuary 

Hall Collection. Her marble of Massachusetts’s Samuel 

Adams was placed in 1876, just 12 years after the 

collection was created, and it was followed in 1905 by two 

Texan heroes, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, by 

Elisabet Ney. 

As of today, women artists have sculpted 16 of the 100 

statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, and 

several replacement statues by women artists are in the 

pipeline. The most recent statue sculpted by a woman to 

be unveiled is Barry Goldwater by Deborah Copenhaver 

Fellows, given by Arizona in 2015. 

WOMEN AS SUBJECTS

Women are also featured in U.S. Capitol art as 

protagonists in the sweep of American history. Many are 

generic types, such as the vanquished Native American 

mother in Thomas Crawford’s Senate pediment or the 

Of 20th-century artists represented in the National Statuary Hall 

collection, internationally acclaimed pop artist Marisol Escobar is 

among the best known. She created an unconventional likeness 

of Father Damien, donated in 1968 by the state of Hawaii, 

transforming her witty plywood constructions into a serious 

bronze. Photo by Susanne Bledsoe and Michael Dunn

FEATURE

Marisol Escobar and fellow artist Ortho Fairbanks at the unveiling 

and dedication of the Father Damien and King Kamehameha 

statues in 1969. Photo by Harry Burnett
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 11

Horatio Greenough, detail, 

Rescue, 1836–1853.

Photo by James Rosenthal
12 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

Helen Farnsworth Mears, Frances E. Willard, placed 1905. Photo by 

Susanne Bledsoe and Michael Dunn

Leonard Crunelle, Sakakawea, placed 2003. Photo by Susanne 

Bledsoe and Michael Dunn

FEATURE
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 13

FEATURE

pioneer mother protecting her infant, a secular Madonna 

and child, in Horatio Greenough’s Rescue, previously 

displayed on the north cheek block of the East Front and 

currently in storage. 

The first woman depicted in the National Statuary 

Hall Collection was temperance leader and educator 

Frances E. Willard of Illinois, sculpted by Helen 

Farnsworth Mears and placed in 1905. Today nine 

statues in the collection celebrate women. In addition 

to Willard, they are architect and humanitarian Mother 

Joseph (Washington); Esther Hobart Morris, a 

judge and suffragist (Wyoming); Jeannette Rankin, 

pacifist and first woman elected to the House of 

Representatives (Montana); Dr. Florence Sabin, 

scientist and humanitarian; (Colorado), Sakakawea, 

member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (North 

Adelaide Johnson, Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth 

Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony, placed 1921. Photo by 

Susanne Bledsoe and Michael Dunn

Eugene Daub and Rob Firmin, Rosa Parks, placed 2013. Photo by 

Susanne Bledsoe and Michael Dunn
14 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

Dakota); Maria Sanford, one 

of the first female college 

professors (Minnesota); Sarah 

Winnemucca, defender of human 

rights and educator (Nevada); 

and Helen Keller, disabled rights 

activist (Alabama). 

Separate from the National 

Statuary Hall Collection, several 

other prominent U.S. Capitol 

artworks feature women of historical 

significance. Adelaide Johnson’s 

Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, 

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan 

B. Anthony was presented in 1921 

by the National Women’s Party to 

mark the ratification of the 19th 

Amendment. In 2005, Congress 

passed legislation to commission a 

statue of civil rights activist Rosa 

Parks, and Artis Lane’s bust of 

Soujourner Truth was unveiled 

in Emancipation Hall in 2009. 

An animated portrait of the first 

African-American woman to serve 

in the House of Representatives, 

Shirley Chisholm, was acquired in 

2009. As more women from diverse 

backgrounds win elected office and 

gain increasing prominence on our 

national stage, U.S. Capitol art will 

continue to reflect the changing 

nature of women’s role in society. 

t

Kadir Nelson, Shirley Chisholm, 2009. 

Collection of the U.S. House of 

Representatives. Photo courtesy of 

the Collection of the U.S. House of 

Representatives

FEATURE
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 15

Restoration and Care of 

Historic Marble Floors 

WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH YODER • PHOTOS BY THOMAS HATZENBUHLER

(left to right) Robert Brown, floor maintenance leader, installs resin honing disks onto the 

planetary head to begin restoration of a section of historic marble floor in the Russell Senate 

Office Building. Looking on is Dennis Anthony, floor maintenance technician supervisor. Wayne Dorsey, floor maintenance 

technician, hones a section of marble 

floor using water and a series of disks of 

increasingly smaller grit sizes. While the 

interaction between the water and the 

stone initially results in a white liquid 

known as slurry (as seen in the photo), as 

the natural oils from the stone start to 

surface, the water becomes clearer.

Robert Brown, floor maintenance leader, 

uses a wet vacuum to extract the slurry 

before it dries and hardens on the 

surface of the stone.
16 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

(left to right) Robert Brown, floor maintenance leader, changes the honing disks to a finer grit which contains a higher percentage of 

diamond particles to further smooth the stone and bring out its natural shine. Lionel Turner, floor maintenance technician assistant 

supervisor, and Wayne Dorsey assist with the process.

(left to right) Wayne Dorsey continues to hone the floor, while 

Robert Brown uses a squeegee to keep the liquid from spreading 

beyond the work area.

Dinh Lam, floor maintenance technician, uses a burnishing 

machine with a natural fiber pad to polish the marble floor, 

which is more than 100 years old, to a high shine visible at 

least 12" from the surface of the stone.

BEHIND THE SCENES
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 17

BY THE NUMBERS

Capitol Visitor Center 

WRITTEN BY LAURA TRIVERS • PHOTOS BY CHUCK BADAL

The Capitol Visitor Center serves as the main entrance for visitors to 

the U.S. Capitol. It is a facility rich with informational exhibits, two gift shops, 

a cafe and two orientation theaters to enhance the visitor experience.

AGE

10-YEARS OLD

In December, the Capitol Visitor 

Center (CVC) will celebrate its 10th 

anniversary. Its unique location under 

the East Front Plaza increases public 

access to the U.S. Capitol.
18 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

VISITORS 

21 MILLION+

The CVC has welcomed more 

than 21-million visitors from 

across the country and around 

the world. Approximately 60 

percent of visitors come to the 

U.S. Capitol between March 

and July. 

HOURS

8:30 A.M. to

4:30 P.M.

The CVC is open Monday through 

Saturday, except for Thanksgiving 

Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s 

Day and Inauguration Day. From 

the vestibule to the balcony to the 

gift shops and the cafe, the CVC 

team strives every day to inform, 

involve and inspire.

BY THE NUMBERS
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 19

GIFT SHOP ITEMS 

MADE IN THE USA

100%

All merchandise in the CVC is 

made in the USA and supports 

small businesses from across 

the country. The merchandise 

reflects the season as well 

as the U.S. Capitol and 

the exhibits in Exhibition 

Hall. Many items are made 

exclusively for the shops. Gift 

shop sales clerks help visitors 

find the perfect keepsakes 

that remind them of their 

U.S. Capitol experience. 

BY THE NUMBERS
20 THOLOS • SPRING 2018

T

he men and women who carry out the mission 

of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to serve, 

preserve and inspire are frequently in full view of 

the public.

And then there are the staff that work behind the 

scenes, in corridors, crawlspaces and nooks that resemble 

secret passageways. These hidden spaces are constricted 

— you often have to bend over and in some cases literally 

crawl. But these areas are not neat with smooth walls. 

The spaces are lined with pipes and metal hangers, vent 

shafts, cables, and many other protrusions that further 

congest the tight, yet expansive labyrinth so few get to 

see. This is where you will often find Air Conditioning 

Making Heads Safer, 

One Bump Cap at a Time

WRITTEN BY CRISTIN O’BRIEN • PHOTOS BY JAMES ROSENTHAL

Equipment Mechanic Clinton Johnson as he goes about 

his day. 

Johnson and other members of the Capitol Building 

jurisdiction maintain the infrastructure of the U.S. 

Capitol from top to bottom: plumbing, wiring, HVAC, 

electrical and more. Personal protective equipment 

(PPE) is issued to each employee to protect themselves, 

including hard hats. However, hard hats are designed to 

protect from falling objects, not bumps in narrow spaces 

where the hats can get stuck, restrict head clearance 

and can fall off when the wearer is bent over. In 2010, 

an employee asked for an equipment review for work in 

tight spaces. Occupational Health and Safety Specialist 

COOL TOOL

Air Conditioning Equipment Mechanic 

Clinton Johnson, who spends much of 

his day in the labyrinth of maintenance 

corridors and crawlspaces in the U.S. 

Capitol, wears a bump cap to protect his 

head against scrapes, cuts and bruises.
THOLOS • SPRING 2018 21

COOL TOOLS

Gerardo Figueroa took up the research challenge. After 

finding a superior alternative to hard hats in such spaces, 

he began spreading the word: bump caps. On the outside, 

a bump cap resembles an elongated baseball cap with 

a short brim. Take a peek at the interior and you see 

squares of gray foam in a checkerboard pattern. This 

lightweight cap is the key to head protection in tight 

spaces; it stays on better when bending or leaning over 

and guards against cuts, bumps and bruises.

Figueroa originally ordered 250 bump caps for Capitol 

Building staff and visited each Capitol Building’s shop 

safety briefing to discuss the new caps. There was modest 

adoption right away, and the caps began protecting team 

members like Johnson from minor hazards while working 

in small, dark spaces.

But not all Capitol Building employees are required to 

wear PPE to protect their heads. For example, Laborer 

Supervisor Ricardo Mitchell and Laborer Leader Wilbert 

Lowery venture up to the roof almost daily for their work. 

The steps they go up look more like a ladder than a flight 

of stairs, and there is a low beam running directly over 

the bottom step where they could bump their heads when 

climbing up or down. During the Dome rehabilitation 

project, the roof was a construction site, and Mitchell and 

Lowery were required to wear hard hats. They saw the 

advantage of wearing the head gear during their visits to 

the roof, so when construction was over instead of going 

back to uncovered heads, they switched to wearing bump 

caps on a regular basis. 

Bump caps have become standard-issue PPE for all 

new Capitol Building employees, and you will regularly 

see employees wearing their bump caps all day because 

they are so comfortable and lightweight. These caps come 

in different styles, with options for longer or shorter 

brims and flame-retardant fabric (this is important when 

welding, for example). 

Wearing a bump cap is a great example of the 

Architect of the Capitol’s commitment to safety — one 

of the agency’s core values. What examples of safe 

behavior do you practice in your daily work? Do you have 

any ideas for making the AOC a safer place? If you do, 

talk with your supervisor, your jurisdiction’s safety and 

occupational health manager, or submit a suggestion to 

the SpeakUp! Program via email at speakup@aoc.gov. t

COOL TOOL

TOP: Capitol Building staff proudly sporting their bump caps (from 

left to right): Kristy Long, Vincenzo Lusi, Gerardo Figueroa, Brian 

Lindsey, Timothy Gross, Paul Probus, Clinton Johnson, Brent Dittman, 

Ricardo Mitchell and Wilbert Lowery. BOTTOM: Ricardo Mitchell and 

Wilbert Lowery inside the Dome, wearing bump caps to protect their 

heads from low beams and other hazards.
Communications and Congressional Relations

U.S. Capitol, Room SB-16

Washington, DC 20515

The Architect of the Capitol strives 

to meet its mission 24 hours a day, 

365 days a year to serve Congress 

and the Supreme Court, preserve

America’s Capitol, and inspire

memorable experiences for all who 

visit the buildings and grounds.

Tholos is distributed by the Architect 

of the Capitol primarily for AOC 

employees. Questions regarding 

content and publication should be 

directed to AOC Communications 

and Congressional Relations at 

communications@aoc.gov, 

202.228.1793, or U.S. Capitol, Room 

SB-16, Washington, DC 20515.

JOIN AOC ONLINE:

Facebook.com/architectofthecapitol

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www.aoc.gov

A mother duck stands guard over her 

ducklings, born near the U.S. Capitol 

this spring.